Support of Gay Clergy Growing Slowly but Surely

by Jennifer Robison, Contributing Editor

At the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which starts
at the end of July, American Episcopal delegates and bishops will
choose whether to ratify the Rev. V. Gene Robinson's election as
bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.
Although Robinson is clearly a well-respected priest, it's quite
possible that they will decide against him.

"We're not opposed to Reverend Robinson personally," said Bruce
Mason, media officer for the American Anglican Council, a network
of conservative, orthodox laity, priests, and bishops. "Our problem
is that he's openly gay."

Many Americans -- though less than a majority -- share this
point of view. And it's a viewpoint that's losing some momentum,
though not quickly.

Glacial Movement

In May 2003*, Gallup asked Americans whether homosexuals should
be hired for a variety of occupations, including the clergy.
Fifty-six percent said they should, 39% said they shouldn't. Only
recently have a majority of Americans begun to support this
position. As recently as 1992, the numbers were nearly
reversed.

In 1977, the first time Gallup asked if homosexuals should be
hired into the clergy, 36% said they should and 54% disagreed. From
there, acceptance of gay religious leaders began a long, slow
climb. In 1982, 38% said homosexuals should be hired, a percentage
that grew to 41% in 1985, 42% in 1987, and 44% in 1989. It wasn't
until 1996 that a majority of Americans -- 53% -- said homosexuals
should be hired for the clergy.

Hiring Homosexuals

Homosexual religious leaders have found increasing acceptance
among the American public, if not the American Anglican Council.
But compared to that of other occupational positions, acceptance of
homosexual clergy is at the bottom of the list of the professions
tested. More Americans think homosexuals should be hired as
salespeople (92%), doctors (82%), members of the armed forces
(80%), members of the president's Cabinet (79%), high school
teachers (67%), and elementary school teachers (61%), than members
of the clergy.

Furthermore, acceptance of homosexuals in the clergy is also
growing at a much slower rate than for any of the other
occupations. The number of Americans saying homosexuals should be
hired as elementary school teachers has grown by 34 percentage
points since 1977 (when it was 27%). The percentages saying
homosexuals should be hired as members of the armed forces and as
doctors have grown by 24 points and 30 points, respectively, since
Gallup first asked about those two jobs in 1985. The percentage
approving of homosexuals as high school teachers has increased 25
points since 1989, and the percentage supporting the idea of gay
members in the president's Cabinet has increased 25 points since
1992. There's been a 21-point increase in the number of people
saying homosexuals should be hired as salespeople since 1985 (when
it was an already a comparatively high 71%).

All of these increases beat the rise in the number of people
saying homosexuals should be hired as clergy. There has been only a
20-point increase in that percentage since 1977.

Bottom Line

Some Episcopals opposed to gay clergy members say they are
concerned about irreparably splitting the church. Mason argues that
homosexuality is not well accepted in Africa, Asia and South and
Latin America, places where a huge proportion of Episcopals reside.
Given limited support around the globe, "It's easier to name places
that would support Reverend Robinson than places that wouldn't," he
maintains.

Nevertheless, in the United States support number is rising
slowly but steadily, and now represents a majority of Americans.
That fact, and ongoing debate over the role of reticence in the
sex-abuse scandals that have shaken the Catholic Church in recent
years, suggest the issue of openly gay clergy members may intensify
considerably in the near future.

*Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,014 national
adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 19-21, 2003. For results
based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95%
confidence that the margin of sampling error is ±3%.

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